When New York Regional Interconnect filed its application for a power line with the State Public Service Commission it included two routes.  The primary has been the most publized route and takes the line from Marcy south through the City of Utica and New Hartford.  But they also listed an alternative route that takes the line into the Town of Frankfort.  This option has some in Frankfort concerned.

David Wittner and his family live along Brockway Road in the Town of Frankfort. Their property is right in line with New York Regional Interconnect's alternate route.

"Now we're talking about driving under them on our way home and having them on the back edge of our property," said David Wittner, Upstate NY Citizen's Alliance. "We have good friends on Higby Road and it will be right in their backyard, and it's wrong."

Wittner says everyone needs to be ready for a big fight because he believes NYRI doesn't really intend to use its primary route. Instead he feels the company is hoping to quietly slide into the alternate route when everyone is celebrating a successful block through Utica and New Hartford.

"When they announced the proposed route that went through Utica and New Hartford, Nobody on Brockway road or Higby or anywhere in Frankfort or Schuyler thought for a minute that that's the real way it's going to go," said Wittner.

According to Wittner, while it may be easy to pit Herkimer and Oneida County against one another, that approach doesn't help anyone. But at least in some small way, a battle line has been drawn. Town Supervisor Joseph Kinney says Frankfort has done its fair share.

"Some people called this the son of Marcy South," said Kinney. "I believe it is."

20 years ago, Marcy South cut a 10-mile path through the township, Kinney says once is enough.

"We felt the impact of transmission lines. In my opinion it's had adverse impact on our environment. It's had an adverse impact on the growth and development of the town."